Twelve Youth Activists & Scientists Recognized by Action for Nature

SAN FRANCISCO, July 17, 2007 – From California to Korea, 12 young people are showing the world what it takes to save the planet. They’re in the lab trying to develop affordable alternative fuels, talking to fishermen about safer nets to protect sea turtles, working with politicians to stop global warming and more. These 12 extraordinary youth are the 2007 winners of Action For Nature’s International Young Eco-Hero Award.

Since 2003, Action For Nature (AFN), a U.S.-based non-profit, has recognized young people ages 8-16 who are taking important steps to solve tough environmental problems. Youth from countries around the world submit their applications. A panel of judges including experts in environmental science, biology and education determines the year’s winners. Each receives a cash prize, a certificate and other benefits. A special exhibit featuring AFN’s Eco- Heroes will be on view October and November 2007 at Crissy Field Center in San Francisco’s Presidio.

This year, two young, determined teenage girls living far from the United States caught the attention of the judges:

Naz Belkaya, a 16-year-old high school student in Istanbul, Turkey, became interested in the migrating swallows that nested every year on the school campus when she noticed how effectively and naturally they controlled annoying insects. She enlisted the help of other students to count and monitor the swallow nests, build birdhouses and try to find ways to increase the population. Then, the devastating bird flu struck Turkey, killing 3 children. Naz was concerned about the connection between wild migratory birds and this deadly disease, so she launched a massive education effort in the villages near her community, bringing in Ministry of Agriculture officials, veterinarians and physicians to lead seminars on precautions and mitigation measures that would spare wild birds and keep people safe. She is now working to bring her seminar to other villages.

Sophia Colombari, a 15-year-old from Escazu, Costa Rica, had a life changing experience when she witnessed the annual arribada or mass nesting of the Olive Ridley sea turtle on a nearby beach, one of only four major sites where this occurs in the world. As she says, “That experience made me aware of the importance of these mystic and beautiful creatures found in my country. I have developed a relationship with nature that until then I never knew was missing.” Sophia has become a tireless advocate for turtles. She developed a presentation that she has shared with schools and businessmen and has raised funds towards conservation efforts. Most importantly Sophia has motivated the local community to protect its beaches and has greatly influenced local fishermen, many of whom have changed their fishing practices to protect the turtles.

Climate change was much on the minds of the young winners of this year’s award as well. Five honorees are taking important measures to address this critical issue of the future:

Eight-year-old Mollie Passacantando of Alexandria, Virginia put modern tools to use in her fight to prevent climate change and save the Arctic. She created a blog with facts, photos and directions on how to write to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support efforts to list the polar bear as an endangered species. The letters are pouring in, with 200 collected so far, and Mollie plans to hand deliver them to the government. She has taken her cause to the public and media as well, speaking at a large public rally in Washington D.C. and being interviewed by NPR, the Washington Post and more.

Sixteen-year-old Caroline Hodge of Palo Alto, California single-handedly “greened” her school with a series of special Earth Day events focused on showing her peers how to reduce their ecological footprint. Caroline brought in speakers from the local city council, gave away hundreds of cloth shopping bags and reusable water bottles to students, organized an organic food tasting event, demonstrated how to whip up snacks in a solar cooker and showed her peers how to power light bulbs with an exercise bike.

Garrett Rappazzo, a 14-year-old from Castleton, New York, was inspired by seeing the now majestic pine trees that his father had planted as seedlings 40 years prior in a school yard. He contacted the local elementary school and began to work with administrators, teachers, students and his local Boy Scout troop to organize a school-wide Arbor Day tree planting. Garrett educated the students about the benefits of planting trees as they worked. As he says, “I believe it’s very important to let kids know that doing something as simple as planting a tree today can make a big difference for our environment tomorrow.”

16-year-old Hee Jeong Kim of Seoul, Korea is well on her way to becoming a top level scientist with her laboratory experiments to extract and recycle inorganic waste from incinerated trash. Korea has a space crisis when it comes to disposing of waste, so most of it is burned, but the ash is still rapidly filling up any available landfill area and is toxic. Hee Jeong wanted to see if it could be reduced, recycled and made safer. She discovered that, in fact, some of it can be turned into a useful cement material and is continuing her exciting research today.

Another young scientist thinking on a grand scale is 13-year-old Sujay Tyle of Pittsford, New York. Sujay looked at the crisis in the Middle East and soaring gas prices and decided something needed to be done to develop an affordable, replenishable, alternative fuel. His research over the last three years has been focused on finding a cheap and quick way to synthesize bioethanol. The outcome so far is undetermined, but Sujay’s science teacher says, “Its potential impact to protect the environment is unlike any project I have ever been privileged to be a part of.”

2007 YOUNG ECO-HERO AWARD WINNERS

Ages 13 to 16

NAZ BELKAYA – Istanbul, Turkey (age 16)

JASMIN JEFFERS – Plantation, Florida, USA (age 16)

CAROLINE HODGE – Palo Alto, California, USA (age 16)

SOPHIA COLOMBARI – Escazu, Costa Rica (age 15)

GARRETT RAPPAZZO – Castleton, New York, USA (age 14)

Ages 8 to 12

BRIAN MEERSMA, Princeton Junction, New Jersey, USA (age 10)

MOLLIE PASSACANTANDO – Alexandria, Virginia, USA (age 8)

JESSICA HABERL – Vancouver, Canada (age 11)

Honorable Mention

SAMANTHA ELLIS – Scarsdale, New York, USA (age 16)

ANJALI CHANDRASHEKAR – Chennai, India (age 13)

SUJAY TYLE – Pittsford, New York (age 13)

HEE JUNG KIM – Seoul, Korea (age 16)